Undergarment



A. RHEA UNDERGARMENT Dec. 22, 1942.

Filed March 18, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet l Dec. 22, 1942.

A.RHEA

UNDERGARMENT Filed March 18, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Dec. 22, 1942.

UNDERGARMEN T Anne Rhea, New York, N. Y., assignor to Julius Kayser & 00., New York, N. Y.

Application March 18, 1940, Serial No. 324,495

1 Claim.- (Cl. nit-149) 1 The present invention relates to an under-garment and, more particularly, to a pantie girdle of the type having a removable crotch piece.

It is among the most important objects of the invention to provide an under-garment capable of serving the purpose of a girdle, a pantie girdle, and an anti-chafe piece, thereby embodying in one garment those features which heretofore have required a plurality of garments.

Another important object of the invention contemplates the provision of a combination garment essentially including a girdle, ,or like body garment, and a detachable crotch piece, so constructed that they may be cooperatively associated by means of a single fastener at the front and a single fastener at the rear.

The invention moreover particularly aims to provide an improved crotch piece cut and shaped from underwear fabric adapted to be removably attached to a girdle, or like body garment, and having the combined function of converting the girdle or garment into a pantie girdle, and providing the wearer with an anti-chafe garment.

An important feature of the invention resides in the provision of a crotch piece capable of being detachably secured to a girdle or the like by means of a minimum number of attachingelements, whereby to preserve the desired stretchability of the garment and assure freedom of body movement when wearing the same.

The invention is essentially characterized by the provision of a crotch piece having a single fastener at the normal front and rear thereof so that said crotch piece may be readily attached to, and detached from, a girdle or like undergarment, and also having leg engaging bands adapted to effectively retain the crotch piece in position by preventing the same from riding up or down when in use.

Other important objects and advantages of the invention will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

In order that the invention and its mode of operation may be readily understood by those skilled in the art, I have, in the accompanying drawings and in the detailed description based thereupon, set out a possible embodiment of the invention.

In these drawings:

Figure 1 is a representation of the garment constructed in accordance with the invention and illustrating the same in use;

Figure 2 isa longitudinal section through the garment taken at a point substantially in line with the connections between the girdl and the crotch piece;

Figure 3 is a transversal section through the garment taken at a point above the connections between the girdle and the crotch piece;

Figure 4 is a perspective of the crotch piece;

Figure 5 is a face elevation of the fabric blank sections intended to constitute the body of the crotch piece.

Having more particular reference to the drawings, wherein like characters of reference will designate corresponding parts throughout, there is shown in Figures 1, 2, and 3 a combination garment essentially including a girdle I0 and a crotch piece I2. The girdle III may be of any desired construction, but preferably is of the two-way elastic stretch variety, that is, the girdle being knitted in tubular formation from combined elastic and non-elastic yarns, may be stretched both longitudinally and transversely. The girdle III may also be provided at its normal lower portion with suitable hosiery supporting means, such as clasps l3. The lower front portion of the girdle is provided with one element ll of a first separable fastener, and the lower rear portion of said girdle is provided with one element I5 of a second separable fastener.

The crotch piece I2 is adapted to be detachably secured to the lower portion of the girdle III, and consists, as more clearly shown in Figure 4, of a fabric body having a front portion I8, a rear portion I1, and two side portions II. The front portion I6 terminates in a point I9 carrying the other element 2|! of the first separable fastener for engagement with said element I4 at the front of the girdle; the rear portion l'l terminates in a point 2| carrying the other element 22 of the second separable fastener for engagement with said element I5 at the rear of the girdle; and the side portions I8 terminate with leg encircling openings 23.

In accordance with the present invention, the crotch piece I2 is made up, as particularly shown in Figure 5, from two complementary sections 24 and 25 of suitabl fabric, such as knitted underwear fabric. These sections preferably are cut and shaped, as represented in said Figure 5, that is, the marginal edge 26 intended to constitute the normal inner side marginal edge of the section 24 and the marginal edge. 21 intended to constitute the normal inner side marginal edge of the section 25 are cut to extend on a line curv- ,ing inwardly of the fabric in concave fashion;

the marginal edge 28 intended to constitute the normal outer side marginal edge of the section 24 and the marginal edge 29 intended to constitute the normal outer side marginal edge of the section 25 are cut to extend on a substantially straight line along the length of the fabric; the marginal edge 30 intended to constitute the normal front marginal edge of the section 24 and the marginal edge 3| intended to constitute the normal front marginal edge of the section 25 are cut to extend on a substantially straight line along the width of the fabric, that is, at substan tially right angles to said outer side edges 28 and 29; and the marginal edge 32 intendedto constitute the normal rear marginal edge of the section 24 and the marginal edge 33 intended to constitute the normal rear marginal edge of the section 25 are cut to extend on a line slanting outwardly of the fabric from said inner side edges 26 and 21 to said outer side edges 28 and 29, that is, at substantially obtuse angles to said outer side edges.

The sections cut and shaped as above described are united at their respective inner edges 23 and 21, preferably by means of an in-seam 34, which brings the front edges 30 and 3|, as well as the rear edges 32 and 33, in contiguous relationship. Because of the curvature of said inner side edges 26 and 21, it will be understood that said front and rear edges meet to form the points l9 and 2| at the front and rear respectively of the crotch piece [2, and that the fabric sections 24 and 25 become somewhat distorted, thus imparting to the crotch piece its necessary fullness. Moreover, in order to fashion the crotch piece so that the same will conform more smoothly to the body of the wearer, there may be, and preferably is, formed in each section 24 and 25 a fabric gathering line of stitches 36 providing darts extending from the rear marginal edges 32 and 33 towards the in-seam 34.

Suitably connected to the sections 24 and 25 u at points adjacent the outer marginal edges 28 and 29 thereof to extend contiguously therewith are leg engaging bands 38 preferably consisting of elastic material so that said bands, in cooperation with the corresponding edge portions of the crotch piece, will constitute the leg encircling openings 23 as, and for the purpose to be, stated hereinafter.

The exposed front, outer side and rear marginal edges of the crotch piece I2 may be reinforced and given body by means of a binding strip 40 sewed all around said edges. It is to be noted that the elements 20 and 2| of the separable fasteners are secured in any convenient manner to the crotch piece l2 in line with the inseam 34 and at each of the meeting points of the front marginal edges 30 and 3! and the rear marginal edges 32 and 33. These separable fasteners may be of any suitable form, such as a snap, hook, button, or the like. In this manner, it will be appreciated that the crotch piece l2 may be attached to the girdle In by means of only two fasteners, one at he normal front and the other at the normal rear of the garment.

In using the garment, the crotch piece I2, being attached to the girdle by a single fastener at the front and a single fastener at the rear, is effectively retained in place by means of the leg engaging elastic bands 38 which will not ride down because they are secured by the material of the crotch piece itself and will not ride up because of the tapering of the wearers thighs rise of the front and rear combine to provide adetachable crotch piece conforming to the body of the wearer so that a maximum degree of wearing comfort is possible. Also because of the particular construction of the crotch piece, the same serves as an effective anti-chafe garment, because the formation of the in-seam 34 gives added length, permitting a'substantial portion of the fabric to cover that part of the leg where chafing is most common.

It may also be pointed out that the crotch piece may be easily and quickly adjusted in personal use, having but one fastener at the rear to open and close the garment, so that comfort and ease are assured.

Manifestly, the construction shown and described is capable of many modifications without departing from the gist of the invention and, therefore, those modifications which come within'the"scope of the subjoined claim are to be considered within the spirit of the invention.

What I claim is:

An under-garment comprising: an elastic circular girdle adapted to extend from the waist line over the posterior region and down over the crotch of the wearer; a single fastener element attached to the inner surface of the front portion of the girdle; a single fastener element attached to the inner surface of the rear portion of the girdle; a crotch-piece serving as an antichafing piece and consisting of two complementary fabric sections, each section having a normal inner side marginal edge out to extend on a line curving inwardly of the fabric in concave fashion, a normal outer side marginal edge out to extend on a substantially straight line longitudinally of the fabric, a normal front marginal edge out to extend on a substantially straight line transversely of the fabric and at right angles to said outer marginal edge, and a normal rear marginal edge cut to extend on a line slanting outwardly of the fabric and from said inner side marginal edge to said outer side marginal edge and at substantially an oblique angle to thelatter, a seam uniting said sections at their curved normal inner edges whereby said edges meet in a point both at the front and rear of the crotchpiece to form a pair of oppositely arranged V portions, a single fastener element attached to each V portion of the crotch-piece in alignment with said seam and at the meeting points of said front and rear edges, and adapted to have a detachable connection with the fastener elements of the girdle whereby the said outer side marginal edges of th seamed fabric sections become located substantially below the thickened portions of the legs of the wearer; and a pair of continu- 

